


fatherless

by belivaird_st



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: F/F, Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2019-05-04 15:58:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14596524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belivaird_st/pseuds/belivaird_st
Summary: Harge Aird dies in the springtime of 1960. How does his family deal with it?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first short story that deals around the fandom's least favorite character!!! And that's Harge!!! Yes, I killed him in this world of 1960, but I really love the fact of middle school Rindy having three most important women sticking around her life!!! That's her two mommies and Aunt Abby of course! Unlike my other work, I will give this at least 3 chapters...

New Jersey, 1960

All three of the most important women in Rindy’s life were standing at the bottom of the staircase, dressed in matching dark, mournful clothing, waiting for Rindy to come down, who was still locked away inside her bedroom, dressed in an orange corduroy jumper dress over a white cotton blend shirt. The dress that she was suppose to put on for her father’s funeral, hung from a coat rack on the top frame of her closet door. She did not want to wear the black dress with the white bib and velvet ribbon headband. She especially did not want to go see her father lying in a casket. It was springtime, 1960. Harge Aird died from cardiac arrest while replacing a new roof at one of the new chained grocery stores downtown. Rindy was in the middle of playing a game of kickball during lunch when it all happened. Now, a week later, her two mothers and aunt Abby, were all ready and prepared to begin the services. She, however, was not.

“Let’s not make Rindy do this, Carol,” Therese spoke, softly.

“It’s obvious that she doesn’t want to go,” Abby added with agreement.

“I will not let my daughter miss her father’s funeral,” Carol replied, sharply. She gripped tightly onto the iron metal banister and called up, “Rindy! Come down here this instant! You’re going to make us late for your father’s funeral!” 

“I’m not coming, Mom!” Rindy shouted back. “Just go ahead without me!”

“Dorinda-” Carol warned.

“Let me talk to her,” Therese coaxed, squeezing Carol’s forearm before she slowly moved along, climbing up the marble steps.

Abby shifted around in her black leather pumps and readjusted her purse. Carol dipped her head back with pure annoyance, letting her black veiled hat slip off her head.

“Is this how I really want to spend my day off?” the blonde questioned.

“This is Rindy’s own way of grieving,” Abby replied. “Give her time.”

“She’s wasted plenty of it.” Carol picked up her veiled hat off the floor and tugged a piece of her lacy glove. “I should have just locked myself inside today, too…”

Abby smirked and glanced up to see Therese making her way back down the spiral staircase with Rindy pouting along behind her.

Carol smiled behind her dark sunglasses. As soon as her daughter was close enough, she collected Rindy quickly in her arms to give her a small hug and kiss. “There’s my special girl. You ready? Let’s get going…”

“I hate you,” Rindy murmured. 

“I know,” Carol sighed.

**xxxx**

At the cemetery, the priest spoke highly of Harge Aird with such compassion and warmth, that it made all three women uncomfortable and bored, standing outside in the bright, pleasant sunshine with a group of friends and family gathered around the dark wooden casket. Rindy stood between her aunt Abby and Therese, barely acknowledging her mother, who tried sneaking glances at her or try passing her over some Tootsie Roll candies from her purse. Rindy, for some reason, was mad at Carol, and ignored her. She didn’t cry like the rest of her family did. She simply dropped a handful of dirt on top of the wooden box that carried her dead father when it was her turn in line, and tossed a single red rose before walking away.

“Rindy?” Therese called after her, but Abby held her back by the arm.

“Just leave her be,” Abby instructed.

Therese nodded. Carol walked away from them quickly across the tall blades of grass in her heels, passing through tombstones and flags, heading straight for her daughter, who was making her way back towards the parked car along the cemetery’s metal iron gates.


	2. Chapter 2

Birds were chirping high in the trees. Rindy felt the afternoon sun beaming down upon the back of her dress with the black fabric reflecting off from the sweltering heat. Carol rushed after her through the grass, stumbling, almost rolling her ankle out. With her arm outstretched, she yanked Rindy’s arm, turning her around.

“Excuse me, young lady! You cannot just go storming off whenever you feel like it!” Carol’s voice raised an octave, becoming more frustrated and utterly exhausted now.

“Are you happy it’s over, Mom?” Rindy spoke harshly.

“What a horrible thing to say.” Carol dropped her lacy gloved hand. “Is that what you really think of me?” She stared at Rindy through her sunglasses as if she had never seen her before. She took a deep breath, but when she spoke up again, her voice was still shaky, “Look, sweetie, I loved your father, but it was a different kind of love back when we first met. I’m not the same person I was when I married him, Rindy. I take full responsibility of the divorce. And I know it wasn’t fair or easy for you, growing up in two separate homes, having a mother fall in love with another woman…” she pauses and removes her sunglasses off. Rindy could now see Carol’s red, watery eyes.

“Daddy was always there for me,” Rindy said, angrily. “He took good care of me! Made sure I signed up for those theater classes and attend all my piano lessons! You never did anything like that, because I never got to see you! You were too busy working all the time!”

“No baby, that’s not true,” Carol cried, shaking her head. “Your father was a fighter. He would often try to prevent me from seeing you, because of the way I am... He made all these excuses for you not to go see me. I was either too busy working, or too sick in bed. Oh honey, it was your father that kept us from spending any time together. Not me. Not Therese. Your father fed you so many lies… You were just a little girl!” Carol wiped the corner of her eye, smearing her dark liner makeup. 

“You’re wrong,” Rindy mumbled. “Daddy wouldn’t do all that! He’s a good person!”

“No,” Carol said firmly. “Your daddy was a good father, but he most certainly was not a good person.”

Rindy peered down at her black saddle shoes. “I want to go live with Grandpa and Grandma from now on. Not you.”

“That’s not your call to make,” Carol sniffled. “I’m your mother, who loves you, dearly, and-” then the twelve-year-old girl abruptly reached over and dug her hand inside her mother’s purse before she took off running with the Packard’s keys.

“RINDY!” Carol hollered. “ _Ooh, you are in some serious trouble when we get home, missy!!_ ” she kicked both her high heels off as she ran after her daughter through the grass in just her nylon stockinged feet.

Back at the services, Abby, Therese, the priest, and pretty much the rest of the Aird family, had been watching the mother-daughter performance and were completely astounded by it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This 2nd chap was amusing to write. One more left...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably the best one here...

The luncheon reception took place over at Rindy's grandparents' house with a total amount of 32 people. There was an assortment of food and cola drinks filling up two long rows of white table cloths. In the spacious, victorian living room, Carol popped a green grape in her mouth as she stood between Abby and Jeanette in their small circle of people, listening to Harge's cousin, Willard, and his wife, Suzette, discuss their plans on their upcoming getaway vacation to Hawaii. She smiled and laughed on the right timings of the conversation. Her face glowed with amusement, but what her heart and soul were carrying, deep inside, were something different altogether. Every so often, she'd look around the house for Rindy, or Therese, but neither one of them were in close sight. 

Therese, herself, did not care so much for huge crowds, especially people that were in no relation to her of family. She moved across the grassy backyard with a cup of parfait that was homemade with a glob of Cool Whip, heading towards the large oak tree, where Rindy sat on a wooden flatboard swing. Her hands clutched onto the two rope cords that were tied and held the plank of wood together. The girl had just lost her father. She was in no mood to swing. 

"You took my hiding spot," Therese said, jokingly. She stopped and peered down once she stood in front of the girl. 

"I can sit on the ground if you want," Rindy replied, somberly.

"I'm only kidding with you, Rinds," Therese grinned. "Want some?" She held out the fruity-granola snack.

"No-oo," Rindy mumbled. 

"How come you’re back here all by yourself? I think all your cousins are hula-hooping and blowing bubbles out front," Therese explained, lifting her plastic spoon filled with parfait and sliding it into her mouth.

"Didn't want to," Rindy shrugged.

"You might not want to hear this, but what you pulled at the cemetery with your mother today, was not a very nice thing to do," Therese heard herself begin to lecture and kept going. "She loves you, Rindy, and so do I, and Aunt Abby, and all those people in that house. I know what's it like, not having a father-"

"Mom thinks Daddy wasn't a good person," Rindy cut off.

Therese blinked down at her cup. She twirled her spoon around. "Your father made it difficult for your mother and I. He despised our love for each other and had almost put an end to it by another man, who liked to spy for a living."

Rindy's nose wrinkled up with confusion. Therese didn’t allow herself to go in full detail, because her adoptive daughter was still too young to hear about her mother's sex life.

"Let's just say that your daddy hired the other man to spy on me and your mother the first year we met, without our permission," Therese went on, dunking and dipping her plastic spoon.

"It must be hard for you guys to be with other man-woman couples," Rindy said, softly.

"It's not easy, but we try," Therese murmured.

"Oh, great, Mom's coming right over here now," Rindy informed, quickly twisting herself around the swing, making so that her back was facing her mother's direction.

Carol laughed at Rindy's smooth move and the reminder that she was no longer allow to speak to her daughter ever again. That was the deal they made after spending a good chunk of running around the car with the jingly keys: If Carol let her daughter sleepover at her grandparents' house tonight and 'never ever' speak to her again, Rindy would give the keys right back. Carol surrendered while panting on top of the hood of the Packard and agreed to the silly request. Rindy handed her keys back and waited patiently inside the car. 

"Darling," Carol greeted Therese warmly, leaning over for a kiss. "Mmm. You taste like berries and cream... How's everything with you?"

"Fine," Therese said, slowly. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, my dear. It was getting a little crowded for me indoors. Abby and Jeanette are helping my in-laws put food away. Are you almost ready to go?"

"Well, yeah, I guess so," Therese said. She waited for either Rindy or Carol to speak to one another.

"Rindy will be sleeping over here, tonight," Carol explained for the both of them.

"Oh," Therese said. She handed Carol her parfait cup before walking around the swing. She bended her knees and gave Rindy a goodbye hug and kiss.

"Bye," Rindy's voice muffled along the paisley scoop neck collar of Therese's dress.

"You be helpful and kind to your grandparents, you hear me? Don't go running away on them. They just lost a son," Therese ordered, planting another kiss on top of Rindy's headband.

"I love you, T," Rindy said.

"I love you, Rinds."

"Goodbye, sweetheart! Mommy loves you, too!" Carol added with full sincere and enthusiasm.

Rindy didn't respond back as soon as Therese let go. She waited for both her mothers to leave her alone on the swing, back into the house to say goodbye to everybody else.

"Call me, alright?" Abby spoke up from her own convertible once everyone was making their way out to their vehicles.

"You know it," Carol blew her a kiss farewell, while Therese slid herself into the passenger seat of the Packard. She waved Abby goodbye through the window and waited until Carol was completely seated and buckled. She kissed the keys and tapped on the steering wheel before starting the engine and backing out. 

**xxxx**

New York, Manhattan, The Apartment

"Tell me what's going on with you and Rindy," Therese demanded, the moment they entered their familiar New York apartment home after an hour long drive back.

"We've made a deal," Carol sighed, taking her heels off and hat and gloves. "The deal was, if I let her spend the night over her grandparents' house and never speak to her again, she would give me my keys back..."

"That was so foolish of you!" Therese outburst. "She's our daughter-"

"Shhh," Carol hushed, walking towards her significant other. "I know Rindy is just trying to toy with me. She'll start to miss me tomorrow morning and come talk to me again. She's at that age where she thinks her mother is the bad guy..."

" _One_ of her mothers," Therese corrected. Her eyes lowered down to Carol's lipstick mouth. Carol took hold of her round chin and drew themselves in for a kiss.

Therese leaned her head back, while Carol lowered her kisses along the side of the brunette's neck. When she peppered her lips on the base of Therese's pale collarbone and poke her tongue between the top cleavage of her breasts, Therese sighed, hooking her arms around Carol's neck, letting her hands roam.

"Let's go upstairs and finish this," Therese whispered in Carol's ear. 

"Mmm," Carol hummed. She brought her head back up and they kissed again.

"I spoke to Rindy about her father," Therese cleared her throat, cooling the tension.

"And what did you tell her?" Carol rested their foreheads together, eyes closing.

"That he wasn't a good person either," Therese mumbled. "Well my own version of it..."

"I wanted the best for him," Carol said now. "I really did."

"He loved you," Therese shrugged.

"Not as much as _I_ love _you_ ," Carol purred deep in her throat, starting to kiss and nibble Therese playfully all over her neck and face.

"And not as much as my love for you, too, my golden goddess," Therese giggled.

**xxxx**


End file.
